According to The 2013 National School Climate Survey The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

and Transgender Youth in Our Nation’s Schools by Joseph G. Kosciw, Ph.D. et al. (2013) schools are
often unsafe learning environments for LGBT students. Hearing biased or derogatory language at
school, especially homophobic remarks and negative remarks about gender expression, was a
common occurrence. However, teachers and other school authorities did not often intervene when
homophobic or negative remarks about gender expression were made in their presence, and
students’ use of such language remained largely unchallenged. Nearly three quarters of LGBT
students reported that they had been verbally harassed at school based on their sexual orientation,
and more than half had been harassed based on their gender expression. In addition, many students
reported experiencing incidents of physical harassment and assault related to their sexual
orientation or gender expression, as well as incidents of sexual harassment, deliberate property
damage, and cyberbullying at school. Transgender and gender nonconforming students were
particularly likely to have felt unsafe at school and to have been harassed due to their sexual
orientation and gender expression. In addition to anti-LGBT behavior by peers, be it biased language
in the hallways or direct personal victimization, the majority of LGBT students also faced
discriminatory school practices and policies. Schools prohibited LGBT students from expressing
themselves through their clothing or their relationships, restricted LGBT content in the curriculum,
limited LGBT inclusion in extracurricular activities, and promoted policies that negatively affected
transgender students in particular, such as preventing use of a preferred name or pronoun. Results
from the survey also demonstrate the serious consequences that anti-LGBT victimization and
discrimination can have on LGBT students’ academic success and their general well-being. LGBT
students who experienced frequent harassment and assault based on their sexual orientation or
gender expression reported missing 122 more days of school and having lower GPAs and lower
educational aspirations than students who were harassed less often. In addition, students who
experienced higher levels of harassment and assault had lower levels of school belonging and poorer
psychological well-being. LGBT students who reported experiencing anti-LGBT discrimination at
school, such as differential treatment for same-sex couples versus heterosexual couples, had worse
educational outcomes and poorer well-being than other students. Although the results suggest that
school climate remains dire for many LGBT students, they also highlight the important role that
institutional supports can play in making schools safer for these students. Steps that schools take to
improve school climate are also an investment in better educational outcomes and healthy youth
development. For instance, supportive educators positively influenced students’ academic
performance, educational aspirations, and feelings of safety. Students attending schools that had a
Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) or a similar student club reported hearing fewer homophobic remarks
and negative remarks about gender expression, were less likely to feel unsafe and miss school for
safety reasons, and reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community. Students who
reported that their classroom curriculum included positive representations of LGBT issues were
much less likely to miss school, had a greater sense of school belonging, and reported hearing fewer
homophobic remarks and negative remarks about gender expression. Unfortunately, these
resources and supports were often not available to LGBT students. Although a majority of students
did report having at least one supportive teacher or other staff person in school, only half had a GSA
in their school, and less than half had LGBT-related materials in the school library or could access
LGBT-related resources via school computers. Other resources, such as inclusive curricula and
LGBT-inclusive textbooks and readings, were even less common. Furthermore, students from certain
types of schools, such as middle schools or religious-affiliated private schools; from certain locales,
such as small towns or rural areas; and from certain regions, such as the South and the Midwest,
were less likely than other students to report having supportive resources in their schools. These
findings clearly indicate the importance of advocating for the inclusion of these resources in schools
to ensure positive learning environments for LGBT students in all schools—environments in which
students can receive a high quality education, graduate, and continue on to further education.
Findings from the 2013 survey indicate that comprehensive school harassment/assault policies can
result in concrete improvements in school climate for LGBT students. Students in schools with
comprehensive harassment/assault policies that included protections for sexual orientation and
gender identity/expression reported a lower incidence of both homophobic remarks and negative
remarks about gender expression, as well as a greater frequency of school staff intervention when
homophobic remarks were made. Furthermore, students with a comprehensive policy were more
likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school personnel. Unfortunately, students
attending schools with comprehensive policies remained in the minority. Although a majority of
students said that their school had some type of harassment/assault policy, few said that it was a
comprehensive policy that explicitly stated protections based on sexual orientation and gender
identity/expression. They have seen small, but steady increases in the availability of certain
LGBT-related resources since the last report– specifically, GSAs, school staff supportive of LGBT
students, LGBT-inclusive curricular resources, and comprehensive antibullying/harassment policies.
Rates of students hearing homophobic epithets and negative remarks about gender expression have
declined steadily as has the pervasiveness of these remarks in the school environment. In 2013, the
downward trend in experiences of harassment due to sexual orientation and gender expression
continued. This may result, in part, from the continued growth of resources over time. Nevertheless,
it is still the minority of students who have these resources available to them, with the exception of
having any supportive school staff person. In addition, although more and more students report that
their schools have anti-bullying/harassment policies, a consistent minority of policies includes
protections based sexual orientation and gender identity/expression specifically. The results of the
National School Climate show that great strides have been made in providing LGBT students with
school supports, yet also show that more work is needed to create safer and more affirming learning
environments for LGBT students.